Tuesday, 29 July 2014

So I'm still taking some time to adjust to the changes in our life at the moment. I just graduated last week, and have finished my first month of being a full-time copywriter. Although it's been a bit of a struggle, and has meant spending less time with Little P, I do have to say receiving my first pay cheque did make it all seem worth it!

I thought I would just check in here, in the vain hope that anybody has still been checking on my goings on. Obviously with my new job it's going to be difficult to continue cooking from scratch, let along blog about it (I write all day, give me a break!) - but I am going to try to do just that. For whatever reason, I feel like Miss P's has been a part of my life for too long to abandon it now. Even if it's pretty much just my mum and boyfriend still reading it. Oh, and a couple of random people in Australia, if my analytics is anyting to go by.

Tuesday, 24 June 2014

Brunch today at the Wild Cafe in Bath. Avocado on sourdough toast; pancakes with bacon and maple syrup; fresh orange juice, and Earl Grey tea. Making the most of my leisure time before starting a grown-up full-time job on Monday. Eek!

Thursday, 5 June 2014

Today I went for coffee with a friend, and received this belated birthday gift. It's full of traditional recipes that remind her of growing up in Sweden, and I can't wait to give some of them a try. Just need to decide whether to make cinnamon buns or tosca cake first...

Oh yes, it was my birthday last week! And before that I took Little P to Paris! We have a lot to catch up on. I'll post again tomorrow.

Monday, 19 May 2014

Before you get mad at me, I have a good reason for not blogging in almost a month - well, two good reasons perhaps. The first has been finally finishing my degree (only four years behind schedule after having Little P), so as you can imagine I have been trapped at my desk for the last few weeks. The second is that, after my final exam a week ago, I have been busy celebrating. The weather has certainly helped, and I've enjoyed sunny pub garden drinks, nights out with uni friends, and a great weekend with my guy that included a very late night, and a very lazy Sunday at the spa. Think I need to make the most of this before real life kicks in...

Monday, 14 April 2014

This recipe comes with an(other) apology. With my dissertation deadline looming ever closer, I'm afraid blogging has taken a bit of a back seat...so has cooking, for that matter. But last week saw my final EVER lecture, so I'm now studying from home and trying not to get too distracted by a) the sunshine b) trashy TV or c) cleaning the oven, aka anything that seems more appealing than sitting at my desk.

To celebrate our last lecture, I took in a batch of these muffins. They went down well - although a bunch of sleepy students at 9am will probably appreciate any snack given to them. They're perhaps not as healthy as your average breakfast muffin, so leave out the chocolate if you like, or eat with abandon as they are:

Makes 12 muffins

150g self raising white flour

100g self raising wholemeal flour

100g caster sugar

1 tao bicarb of soda

1 medium free-range egg

250ml milk

90ml vegetable oil

150g blueberries

200g white chocolate, broken into chunks

Heat the oven to 180°C.

Combine and mix together all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, except for the blueberries and 150g of the white chocolate. Try to do this in as few movements as possible, otherwise you'll knock all the air out of the mixture.

Using a metal spoon, stir through the blueberries and chocolate.

Pour the mixture into a 12 hole muffin tin lined with paper cases, and bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes. You can check with a skewer to see if the centres are cooked.

Remove from the oven, take the muffins out of the tray and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining 50g chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water - or in the microwave, on a VERY LOW setting for no more than 30 seconds. I burnt my first batch by forgetting Mary Berry's wise words: "chocolate will melt in a child's pocket". Oh Mary, why did I forsake you?

When the muffins are cool, embrace your inner artist and drizzle the melted chocolate over them in a fancy way. Leave to cool and harden.

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About Me

I seem to spend an unhealthy amount of time cooking, eating, sharing and day-dreaming about food...so it was only a matter of time before I started writing about it. Follow me on my culinary adventures, both in my kitchen and out in the real world.